With more than 30 networks, including NBC, airing the celebrity telethon for Haiti Friday night, the network has decided to shift its programming accordingly and air an edition of “Dateline” in order to maintain an appropriate tone with news programming through prime time. This inadvertently cuts Jay Leno’s remaining nights in the 10 p.m. timeslot by one.
Since it happens to be the same night as Conan O’Brien’s last “Tonight” show, some wondered if Leno was trying to lay low on O’Brien’s last day.
“That’s definitely not the case,” according to network execs who felt that the hour following the telethon should be a news hour in this instance.
Leno is back Jan. 25 with Mark Harmon as a guest.
Tiger Woods spotted in airportsThere’s still a chance to see Tiger Woods’ Accenture ads if you’re traveling through airports in the coming weeks. A spokesperson for the company says that it will take until the end of the month for all of the signage to come down.
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Celebrity Sightings
What’s taking so long? Sheer volume: The golfing great’s image was used in an ad campaign that spanned 28 countries.
Accenture was among the first of Woods’ sponsors to drop him, and according to the spokesperson, the Woods camp has not reached out since the relationship was severed.
“We haven’t heard a word from them since,” said the spokesperson.
Weekend box office
This weekend the “tough-guy in kiddie movie” genre will attempt to come out atop the box office with the release of “Tooth Fairy.” The Dwayne Johnson-led flick stands to have a strong opening — many industry estimates put it near the $20 million mark.
Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid and Tyrese Gibson star in “Legion,” which will speak to the action-thriller audience, but in no way will top “Tooth Fairy.”
It will, however, beat out “Extraordinary Measures,” the first film out from CBS Films, starring Brendan Fraser has had heavy promotion, has a family friendly PG rating, but critics haven’t been kind to it. Couple that with a grim subject matter — a father desperate to find a cure for his dying kids — and the odds of a big weekend are slim.
All that said, it’s looking like a sixth consecutive win for “Avatar.” At this pace, expect “Avatar” to best “Titanic’s” domestic box office record by February.
Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter @courtneyatmsnbc